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Friday, August 23, 2013

When Milk Comes Out Of My Nose

The person who knows how to laugh at himself

Will never cease to be amused.

~~Shirley McLaine

Laughter is the best medicine. It is healing. It is exercise for your heart and lungs. And, according to Woody Allen, he's thankful for laughter...except when milk comes out of his nose. Who doesn't love to laugh?

Norman Cousins (1915-1990) editor of the Saturday Evening Post and adjunct professor of Medical Humanities for the School of Medicine at the University of California, actually used laughter as therapy. He researched the biochemistry of human emotions and believed they played a key role in successfully fighting disease. When he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis, he developed his own recovery plan which included taking megadoses of vitamin C, maintaining a positive attitude and laughter induced by watching Marx Brothers films. "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," he reported. When this laughter anesthetic wore off, he would watch another movie.

Laughter boosts your immune system. It also releases endorphins, or "brain candy" as I like to call them, right into your brain to boost your mood. While pessimistic people may have a more realistic world view, happy and optimistic people generally have a better quality of life, are healthier and live longer. Sounds like a winning combination to me.

~~Weekly Challenge~~

Your mood is ultimately your choice. Whenever you find yourself feeling down in the dumps, try these tips: